Exercise apparatus

ABSTRACT

An exercise apparatus which has a bar and a mat. The bar may be wedged or locked between building features such as door jambs or stairway stringers. The mat extends from the bar to be positioned at an incline, such as at the angle of a stairway. A user wishing to engage in incline or slant exercises such as sit ups or leg lifts may sit or lie on the mat, engage the bar with feet or hands, and perform exercises at an angle determined by the positioning of the bar and support of the mat.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from a previously filed co-pending Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/635,314 filed Dec. 13, 2004.

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

This invention relates to an exercise apparatus and more particularly to an apparatus useful at home or elsewhere in facilitating a user doing incline exercises.

One classic form of exercise is known as a “sit up” and involves an exercising person assuming a position seated or lying on the floor or a horizontal surface and raising their upper body against the force of gravity. Apparatus have been proposed which enable a user to capture their feet under some restraint to aid in performing the exercise. Some of such aids take the form of apparatus which can be coupled to a building structure feature such as a door. Examples of such apparatus are found in Wu U.S. Pat. No. 4,468,023 and Bernstein U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,816.

Another form of exercise is essentially the reverse of a sit up, in that the person assumes a similar position and raises their legs against the force of gravity. The Wu and Bernstein apparatus can be used for such exercise by simply reversing body position so that the bar provided is gripped by the users's hands rather than having the user's feet positioned under the bar.

Such exercise may be emphasized by placing the body on an incline or slant rather than positioning the body horizontally. Gymnasiums and other health club frequently provide apparatus known as “slant benches” to facilitate this more intense exercise for persons who desire it. However, a deficiency of apparatus such as the Wu and Bernstein devices described above is that such incline exercise is not readily possible. The coupling to a building structure feature, in particular a door, prevents positioning of the user's body at the desired incline.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

With the foregoing in mind, it is one purpose of this invention to enable a user to add incline to exercise in which the user engages while away from a gym or health club facility. In realizing this purpose, the exercise apparatus of this invention provides for cooperation between the apparatus and a building structure feature such as a doorway or stairway to enable a user to select the level of incline desired for a sit up or leg lift exercise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Some of the purposes of the invention having been stated, others will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of the elements of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a mat element of this invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view through the mat of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an elevation view of the bar element of this invention showing certain accessory items;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the apparatus of this invention installed for use in a door frame for pull up exercise;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing the use of a portion of the apparatus of this invention for sit up exercise;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIGS. 5 and 6 showing the use of a portion of the apparatus of this invention for elevating the feet of a user doing push up exercises;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are perspective views showing the apparatus of this invention installed between two building structural features, namely stair stringers; and

FIG. 10 is a side elevation view, partially in section and with a phantom illustration of a user engaging in exercise, of the apparatus of this invention installed for use between two building structural features, namely stair stringers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

While the present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown, it is to be understood at the outset of the description which follows that persons of skill in the appropriate arts may modify the invention here described while still achieving the favorable results of the invention. Accordingly, the description which follows is to be understood as being a broad, teaching disclosure directed to persons of skill in the appropriate arts, and not as limiting upon the present invention.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the exercise apparatus of this invention is there shown (FIGS. 1 through 4 and 8 through 10) to comprise a bar 10 coupleable to a building structure feature and a mat 20 having a side edge 21 coupleable to the bar 10 and extending perpendicularly thereto. The mat 20 supports the body of an exercising user engaged in incline exercise as described hereinafter.

The bar 10 is made to be extensible and wedgable or lockable between opposing surfaces of a building feature such as a doorway or stairway. With a doorway, the bar is wedged between the opposing door jambs or casing trims (FIGS. 5 through 7). With a stairway, the bar is wedged between the opposing stringers, in a closed stairway, or between a stringer an a baluster or the like if an open stairway (FIGS. 8 through 10).

If a user anticipates repeated use of the apparatus in a particular location, then the invention makes provision for assuring that the wedging of the bar 10 remains secure. That provision is in the form of an accessory circular bracket 16 (FIG. 4) which can be secured in place by a bolt 18 or other fastener to a insert 19 which is permanently secured in a door jamb or stair stringer. The bracket 16 is sized to receive an elastomeric bumper 11 at the end of the bar 10. In a more transient use, as when the user is traveling, the bumper 11 will frictionally engage the building structure to hold the bar in place.

In order to facilitate this positioning of the bar between building features of varying spacing, the bar 10 is made to be extensible. That is, the bar has a main body and, at at least one and preferably both ends, an extensible portion 12. The structure of such extensible bars is well known and the details of that structure form no distinctive part of the present invention and are thus not described in detail, being left to the ordinary skill of those manufacturing the apparatus of this invention.

The bar 10 preferably has at least one user body engaging member 14. Here, the bar 10 is shown with two such members, each in the form of a handle or U-shaped part which may be used in two manners. The two members are spaced longitudinally along the bar at a distance which facilitates the uses now to be described. In one manner of use, the member captures the feet of a user who is performing sit up exercises. In another manner of use, the member is gripped by a user preforming leg lift exercises.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, the bar 10 is there shown in use without the presence of the mat 20 and installed in a door frame. Because it is believed that bars for such use have been known heretofore, these figures have been labeled as “Prior Art” as required by the Office. The figures are presented in order that there be a full teaching of the usefulness of the apparatus of this invention, both in its component parts and as the contemplated assembly.

The mat 20 comprises a cover 21 and a plurality of stiffening spines 22 enclosed within the cover (FIG. 3). The mat is coupleable to the bar so that the two elements cooperate in enabling incline exercise as contemplated by the invention As shown, the coupling is accomplished by a hook-and-loop fastening in the form of two straps 24 positioned along one side edge of the mat 20 (FIG. 1). The straps, in use, are wrapped around the bar 10 and secured to themselves so as to couple the mat and bar. Alternatively, straps sewn into loops may be provided or other types of fastenings such as snap fasteners may be used. What is significant is that the mat is coupled to the bar in such a way that the mat receives and supports the weight of a user engaging in incline or slant exercise while engaging the bar with feet or hands (FIG. 6). The mat 20 extends perpendicularly from the bar 10 to underlie the body of the exercising user. While shown in rectangular form, the outline of the mat 20 may be oval, curved, or made into any configuration desired for manufacturing or design appeal. Similarly, the mat may be of varying length to accommodate users of varying sizes.

Optionally, if desired to improve the comfort of the user, the mat 20 also has a layer of padding 25 interposed between the spines 22 and the cover 21. The mat 20 defines a support engaging surface and an opposing user body engaging surface. In use, the support engaging surface may rest against the edge of stairway treads, setting the incline during use to the angle of the stairs (FIGS. 8 and 10). Alternatively, the angle of incline is set by the position of the bar above the floor from which the stairway rises (FIG. 9). In this latter instance, the support engaging surface of the mat is the end remote from the bar and reliance is placed upon the strength of the spines 22 to support the users weight.

FIGS. 8 through 10 are presented in order to make clear the adaptability of the assembly of this invention in imposing varying degrees of difficulty for exercise when installed in a stairway as just described. As will be noted by comparing FIGS. 8 and 9, the bar 10 may be positioned at varying levels along a stair. One effect of this is to vary the angle through which a user must raise the torso or legs in doing lift exercises. That is, in the position o FIG. 8, the body is entirely at the angle of the stairs while in the position of FIG. 9, the torso or legs may rest on the floor, decreasing the angle between the body portions moved in exercise and thus the necessary exertion.

In the drawings and specifications there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are used, the description thus given uses terminology in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. 

1. Exercise apparatus comprising: a bar coupleable to a building structure feature; and a mat having a side edge coupleable to said bar and extending perpendicularly thereto and supporting the body of an exercising user engaged in incline exercise.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said bar comprises a user body engaging member.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said bar comprises a plurality of user body engaging members spaced longitudinally therealong.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said mat comprises a cover and a plurality of stiffening spines enclosed within said cover.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said mat further comprises padding interposed between said spines and said cover.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said mat has a support engaging surface and an opposing user body engaging surface.
 7. Exercise apparatus comprising: an elongate bar coupleable between opposing building structural features and having adjustable length to accommodate varying spacing between such features; a user body engaging member on said bar; and a mat having a side edge coupleable to said bar and extending perpendicularly thereto and supporting the body of an exercising user engaged in incline exercise; said mat comprising a cover, a plurality of stiffening spines enclosed within said cover, and padding interposed between said spines and said cover.
 8. Exercise apparatus comprising: an elongate bar coupleable between opposing building structural features and having adjustable length to accommodate varying spacing between such features; a plurality of user body engaging members on said bar; and a mat having a side edge coupled to said bar, said mat extending perpendicularly to said bar and supporting the body of an exercising user engaged in incline exercise; said mat comprising a cover and a plurality of stiffening spines enclosed within said cover and having a support engaging surface and an opposing user body engaging surface. 